Comfy feet

My muse for a day is necessitated by the state of my feet this morning, which truly ache terribly. I wore high heeled boots yesterday for the whole day, and while my feet did not hurt while in them, as soon as I took them off, my big toes were in excruciating pain and I wondered what the hell I had been thinking wearing those boots. I think I must be getting old, I used to wear heels a lot more, perhaps it was just the inherent mania of NYC that allowed me to do that, along with a more youthful state, but I certainly can't do it now. I can barely walk today, in truth. Ouch! Honestly, I felt as though I had an iota of what women with bound feet might have felt like (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_binding) Oh for the joy of baby feet!














http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot So this muse for a day is not about a foot fetish, rather, it is about the joy of having comfortable feet, which can manifest in several ways. Comfortable but non-frumpy shoes (http://www.comfortableshoes.com/ or http://www.arche-shoes.com/) , foot massage (see below for more), pedicures and foot baths (think: lavender, mint, eucalyptus, citrus, cedar) - all wonderful things that I wish I had access to today.

Wikipedia on foot or sole massage

"Also known as reflexology, foot massage, as practiced by the Chinese is performed in the context of chi, in that each spot on the sole of the foot corresponds to an internal organ, and the applied therapy is healing to one's overall well being. The theory supposes that an ailment of an internal organ will be associated with the nerve ending on the sole of the foot.

Before the massage, the patient's feet are soaked for about ten minutes in a foot bath, typically a dark colored solution of hot water and Chinese herbs. The massage therapist uses liberal amounts of medicated cream, to moisturize the foot and to provide lubrication. The knuckles on the therapist's hand are usually used to provide a hard and smooth implement for the massage. As pressure is applied to the sole, theory holds that a healthy patient should not feel any strong pain. Painful spots, reflexologists believe, reflect illnesses of other parts of the body. The practitioner rubs and massages the painful spots to break down rough spots and accumulated crystals and increase circulation.

The ailments are healed when the sore spots of the sole are treated and removed by massage. Based on this theory, some shoe liners are made with pressure points to stimulate the soles of the feet to promote better health of the overall body. The nature of these "crystals" has yet to be elucidated or demonstrated scientifically. Regardless of the actual correlation of reflexology to internal organs, many enjoy it for the mix of stimulation and relaxation."

While I do love going barefoot sometimes, and
used to for the entire summer, inasmuch as possible, I do not endorse a barefoot lifestyle, and in fact, I do cringe whenever I see a barefoot hippie wannabe walking along the city streets in bare feet - nonetheless, check out these folks:

http://www.barefooters.org/


...and my ultimate favorite, the body shop's peppermint foot lotion products, nothing like it... buy it in gallons, and see the related products, these people really understand feet:
http://www.thebodyshop.com/bodyshop/browse/sub_category.jsp;jsessionid=GAQHK4WI5WQ1VULSIIXFAFOROJBC0UP4?cm_re=-_-Navigation-_-Body-Foot_Care&categoryId=cat20075